Air outlet device for ventilating apparatus



AIR OUTLET DEVICE FOR VENTILATING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet l y 1957 R. PHILLIPS ET AL Filed Dec. 2a, 1955 INVEN ToRs flrronlvg L.R.P

y 7, 1957 R. PHILLIPS ETAL 2,791,170'

AIR OUTLET DEVICE FOR VENTILATING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 28, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 liiiiiii Q INVENTORS L.RPhiLZip-s, J WJWaeldn/er; r v 5r 2 flfiO/G'IYEY United States Patent AIR OUTLET DEVICE FOR VENTILATIN G APPARATUS Leonard R; Phillips, East Hartford, and William J. Waeldner, Farmington, Comm, assignors to Anemostat C orp0rat1on of America, New York, N. Y., a corporatron of Delaware Application December 28, 1953, Serial No. 400,712

2 Claims. (Cl. 98-40) This invention relates to ventilating apparatus, and has particular reference to improvements in air outlet devices through which air from air supply ducts is delivered into rooms and other enclosures for heating, cooling, ventilatmg or other purposes.

One special and important object of the invention is to provide an air outlet device embodying a simple, practical valve which not only is effective to regulate the amount of air flowing from an air supply duct to the air outlet device, but which embodies a construction such that any given amount of air flowing therethrough is caused to mix rapidly and effectively with a proportionately large amount of the air into which it is discharged.

Another special and important object of the invention is to provide an air outlet device embodying a simple, practical valve of such construction that the amount of movement thereof necessary to permit any given volume of air to flow therethrough decreases with opening movement and increases with closing movement thereof, thus to enable quick, easy and accurate regulation of air flow therethrough particularly when the volume of the air flowing therethrough is comparatively small.

Another special and important object of the invention is to provide an air outlet device for ventilating apparatus in which a novel valve is embodied in a novel manner not only to regulate flow of supply air through the air outlet device into a room or other enclosure, but to insure that any given amount of supply air delivered through the air outlet device will mix rapidly and effectively with a proportionately large amount of the room. or enclosure air. This is especially important in any instance where there is a considerable temperature differential between the supply air and the room or enclosure air and becomes increasingly important the closer the air outlet device necessarily is located for one reason or another to occupants of the room or other enclosure. In short, the present air outlet device is especially advantageous for delivering high temperature, high velocity supply air into small enclosures such as airplane cabins and the like, as it operates to effect rapid reduction in velocity and temperature of the supply air by causing it to mix rapidly with a proportionately large amount of the enclosure air.

Another special and important object of the invention is to provide an air outlet device embodying simple, practical adjustablevane means whereby the direction or directions of flow of air from the device may be varied device for ventilating apparatus embodying the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as areillustrated by way of example in the accompanying. drawings and as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

. In the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the different views:

Fig. l is a longitudinal section through an air outlet constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly broken away, of the air outlet device illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation, partly broken away, of another air outlet device constructed in accordance with the invention; and

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal, transverse section through the air outlet device illustrated in Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings in detail, finst to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, 10 designates a portion of an air supply duct, 11 designates a branch duct or neck extending from said air supply duct, and 12 designates, generally, an air outlet device connected to said branch duct or neck and through which air from said air supply duct is delivered into a room or other enclosure.

The air outlet device 12 is composed of three main parts; viz., a first or rear member 13 of suitable sheet material which preferably, but not necessarily, is of forwardly flaring form and which has therein a preferably, but not necessarily, central opening 14 through which air supplied to the device flows; a second or front member 15 of suitable sheet material also preferably, but not necessarily, of forwardly flaring form, spaced forwardly from the member 13 and having therein 2. preferably, but not necessarily, central opening 16 of larger diameter than the opening 14; and a valve 17 for controlling flow of air from the air supply duct 10 through the branch duct or neck 11 and through the opening 14 in the member 13 to the space between the members 13 and 15.

Preferably the air inlet opening 14 in the member 13 is defined by a neck 18 which extends rearwardly from said member 13 and which is of a cross sectional size and shape to fit neatly within the branch duct or neck 11 to provide an airtight joint between said branch duct or neck and the air outlet device 12. Preferably, too, screws 19 extend loosely through holes in the member 13 and are threaded into suitable elements 20 fixed to the air supply duct 10, whereby the air outlet device 12 is detachahly connected to the branch duct or neck 11. However, any other suitable connection between the air outlet device 12 and the branch duct or neck 11 may be provided if desired.

Between the flaring members 13 and 15, outwardly of the air inlet opening 14 in the member 13, are vanes 21 which are suitably pivoted intermediate their ends on axes extending at right angles to said flaring members and which are pivotally adjustable to vary the direction or directions of flow of air outwardly from the space between said flaring members. As illustrated in the draw ings, these vanes 21 also serve the purpose of connecting the flaring members 13 and 15 together in spaced relationship to each other. However, said flaring members may be mounted in spaced relationship to each other in any other desired manner. Preferably the vanes 21 are of lengths such that when they are turned substantially into end to end relationship to each other they are effective to close the space between the members 13 and 15 against flow of air therethrough. However, this is not essential and therefore the vanes 21 may be of any'desired lengths. In fact, the vanes themselves are not essential and may be eliminated in any instance where it is unnecessary to change the normal direction or directions of flow of air from the space between the members 13 and 15.

The valve 17 is of cup-like form and comprises a tubular side wall or skirt portion 22 which is open at its rear end and closed at its front end by a wall 23. The side wall or skirt portion 22 is of an external cross sectional size and shape corresponding to the internal cross sec- 3 tional size and shape of the opening 14 in the member 13 and is disposed in said opening 14 wherein it fits neatly and is forwardly and reawardly slidable.

Carried by the front wall 23 of the valve 17 is a screw 24 which is suitably swiveled at its front end to said wall 23, as indicated at 25, and which extends rearwardly from said wall 23 into screw-threaded engagement with a nut element 26 which is suitably fixed with respect to the member 13. Thus, by rotating the screw 24, the valve 17 may be adjusted forwardly and rearwardly.

To facilitate rotation of the screw 24, the same may be provided at its front end, forwardly of the front wall 23 of the valve 17, with a suitable handle or with a suitable formation, such as a head 24:: having therein a slot 27, with which a suitable implement, such as a screwdriver, is engageable.

A simple practical swivel connection between the screw 24 and the wall 23 may be provided, as shown, by extending said screw through a hole in said wall 23; by providing a washer 24 on said screw between the head 24 thereof and the wall 23; by providing a second washer 24 on said screw at the rear side of and against the wall 23; by providing on said screw in rearward spaced relationship to the washer 24 another washer 24 held against rearward movement along said screw by a cotter pin 24 extending through said screw, and by providing on said screw, between the washers 24 and 24 an expansion helical spring 24 The spring 24 will, of course, tend to urge the washers 24 and 24 apart and thus tend to urge the screw 24 rearwardly relative to the wall 23 and to urge the washer 24 forwardly against said wall, whereby the wall 23 will be confined between the washers 24 and 24 to avoid any looseness or rattling of the swivel connection thus provided between the wall 23 and the screw 24.

As illustrated in the drawings, the nut 26 may be comprised by the hub of a spider element which includes arms 28 extending from said hub to the neck 18 of the member 13 to which neck they may be fastened by screws 29, whereby the nut 26 is fixed with respect to said member 13. Obviously, however, this is only one of a number of different ways in which the nut 26 may be provided.

In order that rotation of the screw 24 may be effective to adjust the valve 17 forwardly and rearwardly it is necessary, of course, that said valve be held against rotation. This may be done in any suitable manner, conveniently and practically, for example, by providing the skirt portion 22 of the valve 17 with longitudinally extending slots 30 to accommodate the spider arms 28, thereby providing splined connection between said valve and the member 13.

In and extending longitudinally of the side wall or skirt portion 22 of the valve 1'7 are elongated slots 31 which preferably, but not necessarily, are of progressively decreasing widths toward their front ends. Obviously, by moving the valve 17 rearwardly to dispose the front ends of the slots 31 rearwardly with respect to the front end of the opening 14 in the member 13 all flow of air from the air supply duct to the air outlet device 12 is cut off. Obviously too, by adjusting the valve 17 longitudinally todispose different length portions of the slots 31 forwardly of the front end of the opening 14, the amount of supply air flowing to the air outlet device 13 may be regulated. In this connection it will be apparent that due to the progressively forward decreasing widths of the slots 31, the amount of movement of the valve 17 necessary to permit any given amount of air to flow from the duct 10 to the air outlet device 12 decreases with forward or opening movement and increases with rearward or closing movement of said valve. Hence, when it is de sired that only a comparatively small amount of air be delivered from the duct 10 to the air outlet device 12, the valve 17 may quickly be adjusted to regulate accurately the small amount of air flow desired.

If the vanes 21 are adjusted to deny flow of air outwardly from the space between the members 13 and 15,.

supply air flowing from the duct 10 through the slots 31 in the valve 17 will be required to flow more or less directly forwardly from the air outlet device 12 through the opening 16 in the front member 15. If, on the other hand, the vanes 21 are adjusted to permit air to flow out- 7 wardly through the space between the members 13 and 15, supply air flowing from the duct 10 through the slots 31 in the valve 17 will follow its natural path of fiow laterally outwardly through the space between said members 13 and 15 and will result in entrainment of air through the opening 16 in the member 15 from the space in front of the air outlet device 12. Hence, there will be effected within the air outlet device 12 and in its immediate vicinity, a mixing with the supply air of a considerable proportionate amount of the room or enclosure air into which air from the air outlet device 12 is discharged, so that in the event of a temperature differential between the supply air and the room or enclosure air, such temperature differential rapidly is reduced. This would be true even if the supply air were not divided into separate, laterally spaced apart streams by the slots 31 in the skirt portion 22 of the valve 17. Since, however, the slots 31 act to divide the supply air into separate, laterally spaced apart streams, the induction effect of the supply air is greatly increased, because room or enclosure air is induced in large amounts, proportionately to the amount of the supply air, into the spaces between the supply air streams and thereby becomes mixed rapidly and effectively with the supply air. Moreover, division of the supply air into separate streams effects acceleration of its diffusion. Hence, even though there may be a considerable temperature differential between the supply air and the room or enclosure air into which it is delivered and even though the velocity of the supply air may be exceptionally high, the present air outlet device acts, because of its rapid induction and diffusion mode of operation, to effect a rapid reduction in the temperature differential and a rapid reduction in velocity of the supply air so that exceptionally hot or exceptionally cold supply air may be delivered into an enclosure Without causing discomfort to occupants thereof even though the enclosure may be relatively small or even though the air outlet device may, of necessity, be located relatively close to the occupants.

While the valve 17 has been illustrated as being of circular shape in cross-section, it obviously may be of any other desired cross-sectional shape. Moreover, while the members 13 and 15 also have been illustrated as being of circular shape in end elevation, they obviously may be of any other desired shape in end elevation regardless of the cross-sectional shape of the valve 17.

In many instances it is desirable to deliver supply air equally to all parts of an air diffuser. When, however, a diffuser is connected directly with a main or a branch air supply duct, equalization of flow of supply air to all parts of the diffuser usually presents a problem which usually is solved, or in part is solved, by providing suitable air turning or flow equalizing vanes in the air supply duct. In this connection and where space permits, a better solution of the problem is to provide a plenum chamber between the air supply duct and the diffuser into which the supply air may flow with dissipation of its velocity and direction of flow prior to entering the diffuser. Such an arrangement is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings wherein the air outlet device includes a plenum chamber, designated as 32, having in a wall thereof an air inlet opening 14 with which is connected an air supply duct, designated as 10, and having in another wall thereof an air outlet opening with which is connected an air diffuser designated generally as 12.

Now, in accordance with the present invention, a valve of the type illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 and designated generally as 17, is employed to regulate flow of air from the air supply duct 10 into the plenum chamber 32 through the opening 14 and, hence, from the air supply duct to the diffuser 12. Moreover, because of said valve acting to divide the supply air into separate, spaced apart streams, the supply air quickly mixes with the air in the plenum chamber 32 and thereby is quickly diffused with consequent dissipation of its energy and its direction of flow before it enters the diffuser 12 The air therefore flows substantially uniformly to all parts of the diffuser 12*.

As in the case of the valve 17, the valve 17 is of cup-like form and includes a tubular side wall or skirt portion 22 which is open at one end and closed at the other end by a wall 23*. The side wall or skirt portion 22 of said valve is disposed in and neatly fits the air inlet opening 14 and is provided with elongated slots 31 which extend longitudinally thereof and preferably are of progressively decreasing widths toward the plenum chamber 32. Moreover, the closed end of said side wall or skirt portion 22 is disposed in the plenum chamber 32. Hence, by moving said valve through the opening 1 1 away from the plenum chamber 32, flow of air fron the duct 10 to said chamber may be. cut off, while by moving said valve toward the plenum chamber 32 the slots 22*- will become positioned to permit flow of air therethrough from the duct 10 into said plenum chamber.

Any suitable means may be provided for adjusting the valve 17. In this connection and as illustrated in the drawings, the end wall 23 of said valve has suitably fixed thereto a nut 26 in which is threaded a screw 24* which is suitably swiveled, in a manner similar to the swiveling of the screw 24 to the wall 23, as indicated at 25 to a bracket 33 suitably fixed in the plenum cham ber 32. Rotation of the valve 17 is prevented because its skirt portion 22 is of rectangular shape in crosssection to correspond to the rectangular, cross-sectional shape of the opening 14 in which it is disposed. Thus, rotation of the screw 24 is effective to adjust the valve 17 to regulate the amount of air flowing from the duct 10 to the plenum chamber 32.

The screw 24 extends exteriorly of the plenum chamber where it is provided with a handle or with a suitable formation for engagement by a suitable implement to effect its rotation. In this connection and as illustrated in the drawings, said screw includes a flexible extension 34 which is swiveled in a wall of the plenum chamber, as indicated at 35, in a manner similar to the swiveling of the screw 24 in the wall 23 and which is provided exteriorly of said chamber with a slot to accommodate a screw driver or with any other suitable means to facilitate its rotation.

From the foregoing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that the construction and operation of the present air outlet devices will be clearly understood and their advantages appreciated. It is desired to point out, however, that while only certain specific structural embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, the same is readily capable of specifically different structural embodiments within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An air outlet device for ventilating apparatus in cluding a member having therein an opening through which flows supply air delivered to the device, a valve for regulating flow of supply air through said opening, said valve being of cup-like form and including a tubular skirt portion closely fitting said opening and longitudinally slidable therein, said skirt portion being open at its rear end and closed at its front end as regards the direction of flow of supply air through the device and having therein elongated slots disposed in side to side relationship to each other and extending longitudinally thereof whereby flow of supply air through the device may be regulated by longitudinal movement of said valve to dispose different length portions of said slots forwardly of the front end of said opening, said slots serving to divide supply air flowing through the device into separate spaced apart streams for rapid mixture with the air into which the streams flow, means to effect longitudinal adjustment of said valve, an element extending laterally outward from the front end of said opening, a second laterally outward extending element spaced forwardly from said first mentioned element to provide between said elements a passageway through which the streams of air from the slots in said valve skirt flow, said second element having therein a central opening of larger size than the closed front end of said valve for flow therethrough of air from in front of the device into said passageway for admixture with the supply air streams.

2. An air outlet device as set forth in claim 1 including vanes extending transversely across the space between the laterally outward extending elements and pivoted to said elements for adjustments to regulate and direct the flow of air through the passageway between said elements and effective to cut off flow of air through said passageway so as to cause the supply air to be delivered forwardly from the device through the central opening in the second mentioned element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 778,204 Porter Dec. 20, 1904 1,425,028 Lyon Aug. 8, 1922 2,069,309 Henszey Feb. 2, 1937 2,126,230 Troxell Aug. 9, 1938 2,207,201 Kurth July 9, 1940 2,365,867 Dauphinee Dec. 26, 1944 2,432,289 Dauphinee 2- Dec. 9, 1947 2,477,619 Kennedy Aug. 2, 1949 2,524,974 Hickmott Oct. 10, 1950 2,558,421 Daninhirsch June 26, 1951 2,564,334 Kennedy Aug. 14, 1951 2,620,983 Lyman Dec. 9, 1952 2,656,782 Labus Oct. 27, 1953 2,664,910 Boyd et al. Jan. 5, 1954 2,687,746 Argentieri Aug. 31, 1954 2,727,456 Davies Dec. 20, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 19,816 Great Britain 1904 

